---
title: עֲרָפֶל — cloud · The Tanakh dictionary
description: עֲרָפֶל (6205), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 15 times: cloud. BDB 1906: n.m. cloud, heavy cloud. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# עֲרָפֶל

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«עֲרָפֶל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **cloud** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 15 times · **Key:** 6205 · **BDB:** עֲרָפֶל

### Glosses

thick.darkness (11); darkness (4)

### Meaning (OSHB)

cloud [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6205/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. cloud, heavy cloud [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6205/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. cloud, heavy cloud (perhaps from above √ + ל afform; NH = BH; Syriac ܥܰܪܦܶܠܴܐ; 𝔗 עֲרָפֵילָא; Mand. ארפילא NöM 126, 128; on vocaliz. v. BaNB 160 and against him SchwallyZAW x (1890), 178 who proposes עַרְפֶּל);—ע׳ in which God dwells Ex 20:18 (Gi; van d. H. v 21), 1 K 8:12 = 2 Ch 6:1; + עָנָן Dt 4:11 (also חֹשֶׁךְ), 5:19 (22) ψ 97:2; Jb 22:13 v בַּעַד; ע׳ תַּחַת רַגְלָיו 2 S 22:10 = ψ 18:10; as swaddling-bands of sea Jb 38:9; fig. of misery Is 60:2 (‖ חֹשֶׁךְ); of י׳’s judgment Je 13:16 (‖ צַלְמָוֶת), as a past day יוֹם עָנָן וַע׳ Ez 34:12 = (of future day of י׳) Zp 1:15 (‖ יוֹם חשֶׁךְ וַאֲפֵלָה) = Jo 2:2 (‖ id.).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 13 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «עֲרָפֶל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6205/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 22:13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.22.13/)

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וְֽ֭אָמַרְתָּ מַה־יָּ֣דַֽע אֵ֑ל הַבְעַ֖ד עֲרָפֶ֣ל יִשְׁפּֽוֹט׃

*Word for word:* and you.say what? does.he.know God ? through thick.darkness will.he.judge

*JPS 1917:* And thou sayest: 'What doth God know? Can He judge through the dark cloud?

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[2 Samuel 22:10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/2SA.22.10/)

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וַיֵּ֥ט שָׁמַ֖יִם וַיֵּרַ֑ד וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל תַּ֥חַת רַגְלָֽיו׃

*Word for word:* and he.bent.down \[the\].heavens and he.came.down and thick.darkness \[was\].under feet his

*JPS 1917:* He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet.

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